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NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
April lb, 2000 Vol. CXXXIX, No. 59
MPR acquires USC-based Marketplace
Media: Daily national news program has 2.5 million weekly listeners, has been at university for past 11 years
BY JENNY J. LIN
Staff Writer
Minnesota Public Radio announced its acquisition of Marketplace Productions, a public radio, which has been based at USC for the past 11 years Friday, joining two successful ventures in public radio.
“This is a strategic partnership that will benefit all concerned, especially millions of public radio listeners,” said Bill Kling, president of Minnesota Public Radio, in a press release.
Minnesota Public Radio is one of the nation’s most successful public media companies and producer of more radio programs for national distribution than any other public radio station in the country. The programs are distributed to public radio stations nationwide.
Meanwhile, Marketplace is public radio’s only national series about business, finance and global economy. It
was the first and is still the only daily national news program to come from the West Coast. Marketplace is public radio’s most successful news program, with a national audience of 2.5 million weekly listeners.
It was first launched in 1989 in Long Beach. A year later, it moved to USC and has remained at USC for the past 10 years. USC has provided a strong foundation in building the radio.
Realizing that Marketplace needed a significant amount of investment, however, USC began looking for potential investors.
As a global business program, Marketplace has six domestic bureaus in Detroit, Boston, Cleveland, New York, Portland and Washington D.C., as well as two international bureaus located in London and Tokyo.
The radio program distinguishes itself from general news by taking a broader view of business and defining its context as any story that deals with money. It emphasizes interpretive reporting and analysis for its target audience of business novices.
USC believes that the acquisition will benefit Marketplace Radio because Minnesota Public Radio has the expertise to assist Marketplace to grow.
‘It is a testimony to USC’s greatness that they encouraged Marketplace to expand by making this deal with MPR,” said Jim Russell, general manager for Marketplace Productions.
Minnesota Public Radio will strengthen Marketplace Productions by adding news facilities, updating technology as well as bringing in new talents to the staff.
Minnesota Public radio’s long-term strategy’ is to build a stronger national program and serve as a model for other public radios. With Marketplace Productions
I see Radio, page 111
Caffeine highs
GroundZero’s reopening includes music, comedy and an offbeat beauty pageant
By KIMBERLY TABA
Assignment Editor
fter being closed for five weeks for renovations, the student-run GroundZero Coffeehouse threw a reopening party Monday night .with performances by the Commedus Interruptus troupe and rap outfit Emanon and the crowning of the first Ms. GroundZero.
“We rarely schedule our own events,” said Beata Leja, executive director of GroundZero and a junior majoring in international relations and Spanish. “So it was our attempt to see how it would go if we did.”
Seven students competed for the title of Mr. or Ms. GroundZero and a $250 cash prize, which went to Juanita Lafonde, a freshman majoring in architecture.
“It was fun,” Lafonde said. “I’m glad a lot of people came.”
There was a question-and-answer session and a talent portion before the audience of about 60 students and a panel of three judges.
“From the beginning, (the winner would be) whoever was the most entertaining,” Leja said. “We had a lot of contestants and everyone had fun.”
The questions ranged from the benign to the outrageous. On the applications, which were read out loud to introduce the contestants, some of the questions included favorite movies, band, pickup line and the celebrity the applicant would most like to “boink.”
Each contestant answered the same questions during the Q-and-A session, such as what changes they would make as executive director of Ground Zero.
“Probably make (GroundZero) topless is the first thing that comes to mind," said contestant James Snyder, a freshman majoring in theater.
After a performance by Commedus Interruptus, the contestants revealed their talents - with a few surprises.
“We were definitely shocked to see some of the talent,” Leja said.
Among the more unusual talents were Jed Johnson’s juggling fire and Billy Hot Chocolate’s wetting himself on stage.
“It was just weird,” Lafonde said. “He
I see GroundZero, page 2 I
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Joanna Niles I Daily Trojan
He’s got the look. Mark Yapelli, a sophomore majoring in sociology, makes coffee at GroundZero Coffeehouse's reopening festivities Monday evening.
Seminar details plans for distance, distributed learning
Education: New, innovative
*
programs target traditional students, use online resources
By NEIL APELES
Staff Writer
Advancing the university’s distance and distributed learning programs, the USC Academic Senate held an open forum Friday to discuss long-term guidelines.
Distance education focuses on using the internet, World Wide Web and other communication technologies to facilitate educational activities. Students participating in distance learning participate away from the traditional campus. Similar to distance learning, distrib-
uted learning describes a program that augments a traditional course through the use of online media. The target audience for this innovative type of learning is the traditional college student.
At the conference, the major topics focused on creating standards, leading innovation in the field, and resolving conflicts of interest.
“The conference focused on guiding principles for distance learning," said William Dutton, professor and associate director for the School of Communication.
Close to 50 people, mainly faculty, attended the forum. Students, who also giittended, provided valuable information and feedback on student concerns.
Distance learning is nothing new to USC. The administration is thinking about initiatives, and faculty has been
working on expanding distance learning.
Currently, many activities are already under way. Engineering has already established certain distance learning courses, and gerontology has developed a Master’s program that can be completed through distance learning.
Whether the distance learning involves alumni, students, or industry workers, the classes will be developed to maintain the same quality as traditional, on-campus classes.
Distance learning courses should be up to the same standards as courses on campus, Dutton said.
Distance learning provides almost all aspects of learning in the classroom. “Conceivably, you could have electronic analogies to everything you do on cam-
pus,” Dutton said.
Lectures, exams, papers, and study groups can all be done using information and communication technologies (ICTs). In fact, students who take exams online may be able to receive grades almost immediately.
Students can complete online coursework — similar to regular, on-campus instruction. Text, video, chat and e-mail will all enable students to participate in distance education.
Distance learning provides universities with innovative alternatives to a traditional educational program. This type of education keeps universities on ihe leading edge of incorporating technology and education.
Major universities such as Oxford I see Learning, page 3 I
“Conceivably, you could have electronic analogies to everything you do on campus.”
William
Dutton
associate director School of Communication